Tequila, Mexico

Last Saturday, we left with a few other students for the program-led trip to Tequila, Mexico. After about an hour-long drive, we arrived at the La Cofraida distillery. We enjoyed free margaritas and the lovely scenery while we waited for our guide, and then began our tour of the factory. In the span of a couple hours we learned more than we ever needed to know about tequila - the process of making it, the history, the types, and the correct way to taste it. Because I can, I'll share this info with you.

First, Tequila is made from blue agave plants. This is a type of cactus that takes 10 years to mature (when it does, it sprouts a single flower in the center). The plant's leaves are then sheared off and the center (which looks like a pineapple) is baked for 40 hurs in batches in huge ovens, causing it to become naturally sweet. (In fact, Agave is also used as an alternative to sugar). The "pineapples" then need to be picked apart by hand and are pressed to extract the liquid (the remaining fibers can be used for clothes and paper). The agave is then fermented in huge vats with some salt water and yeast before it is distilled. Legally, it is required that the factories distil the alcohol twice before selling it as tequila, and from the giant fermenting vats, only about 10% of the liquid makes it through the 2nd distilation. (Some types of tequila are distilled an additional time after that).

The pure resulting tequila is called Tequila Blanco, which in its best form (and from this distillery) is made from 100% agave and bottled directly after distillation. It's completely clear, and burns a bit when you drink it, but it tastes very crisp. Alternatively, tequila is also placed into wooden barrels for various amounts of time to soften the bite, adding flavor and color. Tequila reposado has spent 2-11 months in a barrel, is slightly softer and darker than tequila blanco, and tastes slightly sweeter. Tequila añejo spends 1-3 years in a barrel, is smoother still, and darker. There is also another type of añejo that spends 3-5 years in a barrel, and another name entirely for tequila that ages even longer than that, but I don't remember those names and we only tried the first three types.

Apparently, the correct way to drink tequila is to simply swallow the first taste (or shot, depending on the person) without pausing - "Don't think, just drink" as our guide explained. This is to open up the throat and allow you to enjoy the other tastes more. After that, you should put the tequila in your mouth, move it around a bit for a few seconds, inhale, swallow, and exhale. This leaves the taste very strongly in your mouth (though, with the blanco and reposado, it does burn a bit). The custom of drinking tequila with salt and lime (salt to build up saliva to help with the tequila, then lime to soften the taste) comes from a long time ago when the tequila was much stronger, and is still used today for crappier tequilas (the ones you don't WANT to taste). Apparently, with 100% agave tequila, you should drink it alone or else you kill it by mixing in other flavors.

Are you an expert yet? There's more. For instance (not trying to shatter your worldview), tequila never has a worm. That drink is called Mezcal and is made from a different type of cactus, although it looks similar to blue agave. Also, you are about to discover how tequila was discovered (or the legend thereof). Originally, the natives who grew agave used the leaves for all sorts of things (including roofing of their houses!) but, upon trying the bitter raw agave, decided it was not useful for anything and thew it away. One day, there was a storm and a bolt of lightning hit the agave plant. The people came out to see where the new, sweet smell was coming from and they tried the new, cooked, agave. They loved it! They began to use it as a sweetener and to make drinks from it. Well, one day some dingbat left the agave water out for too long and it fermented. He tried it anyway, and it's been party-time in Mexico ever since...More or less.

We tasted some of the very sweet flavored liquors as well and bought a bottle for our host family before heading back into the town of Tequila for lunch. All in all, a fascinating, educating, and slightly intoxicating day. But now that we both understand the process and history of tequila (a drink that neither of us had ever liked before), we appreciate and enjoy it much more. That's all for now until I can get more photos up... much love to everyone and *cheers*.